Version : 7.0 
Date modified : 2024-03-05

7.1 The importance of image sizes

 

7.1.1 What is a good size image for a website

Any image that is less than or around 1MB in size is ok, a general rule is "smaller is better".

7.1.2 About BIG Pictures

Using large images on websites can have several negative effects on the overall user experience and website performance. Here are some reasons why large images may not be healthy to use:

Increased Page Load Time: Large images result in larger file sizes, leading to longer loading times for web pages. Slow-loading pages can frustrate users and negatively impact the overall user experience. With the increasing emphasis on mobile browsing, where network speeds can vary, optimizing page load times is crucial.

Bandwidth Usage: Large images consume more bandwidth when users access your website. This can be a concern for users with limited data plans or slower internet connections, causing them to abandon your site if it takes too long to load.

Server Load: Serving large images puts a strain on web servers as they need to transmit more data for each request. This can lead to increased server load and, in turn, affect the website's responsiveness. If a web page tries to load many large images, the sever can run out of resources and the page can crash!

Mobile Responsiveness: Mobile devices have smaller screens, and using large images that are not appropriately optimized for smaller displays can result in unnecessary data usage and may require more processing power, impacting the performance on mobile devices.

User Experience: Users may have to wait for large images to load, leading to a poor user experience. Additionally, some users might not be able to view the images at all if their internet connection is too slow or if they are accessing the website on a device with limited capabilities.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO): Search engines consider page load times as a ranking factor. Slow-loading pages, often caused by large images, may lead to lower search engine rankings, affecting the visibility of the website in search results.

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